martijnboersma.com « Mayonnaise for the Soul

Saint Nicholas and Black Peter: Quaint Dutch Folklore or a Racist Tradition?

May 132012

Last Thursday I found myself having a recurring discussion which usually occurs around 5 December, but always takes place between myself and someone with a different nationality than mine. A discussion about Zwarte Piet. Being Dutch, on the eve of 5 December I celebrate the feast of Saint Nicholas, or Sint Nicolaas in Dutch. Sinterklaas, as Sint Nicolaas is more commonly known in the Netherlands, was a fourth century saint from Lycia, now present-day Turkey. Widely known for his gift-giving, he became revered by the early Christians, and centuries later became the model for his obese Trans-Atlantic counterpart Santa Claus. Lots of festivities take place around Europe in Saint Nicholas’ name, who is often depicted bearded and dressed in red gowns. Many of the festivities [...]

Celebrating Reason: Non-Believers and Muslims Sing Along in Melbourne

Apr 292012

Today is Sunday, a day which most Christians consider to be a day of rest and worship of god. First of all because it is the belief that this is the day of Christ’s resurrection, and secondly because by the seventh day, the man in the sky had completed his work and took a well deserved day off to rest (creating the universe with everything in it sounds tiring). Interestingly enough, Christians can’t decide amongst themselves on which day of the week they should observe Sabbath, as a minority believe they should do so on Saturday instead of Sunday, as do the Jews of course, making the entire practice somewhat more trivial. Additionally, in Israel and in most Muslim countries, Sunday is a regular working [...]

[The Conversation] Compromised Inquiry into Church Sex Crimes Disrespects Victims

Apr 262012

Victorian victims of clergy sex crimes and their families have been fighting for justice for years – some for decades. The previous Labor state government did nothing for them. The Baillieu government, despite being dragged kicking and screaming all the way, has succumbed to mounting public pressure and announced a parliamentary inquiry into the way in which religious and other organisations handle sexual abuse complaints. The announcement came initially as a relief for victims and their families and, being a first for Australia, it has been applauded. But the applause should not go the government, but to the victims, their families and the many workers behind the scenes who have been pushing for justice in this area for years. Scratching the surface of this inquiry, [...]

Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton: Building a Successful Case for Atheism 2.0?

Apr 232012

How could you not want to read a book that is titled Religion for Atheists? The title appeals to both believers and non-believers, and phrased in web terms, it makes the perfect link bait. Although the term link bait often has a negative connotation, stemming from the practice of luring people into reading content using a provocative title, De Botton’s book shouldn’t be judged by its cover. In the end it is the content that determines whether the author will be accused of link baiting or will be praised for writing good content, or in this case, a book. But before I elaborate further on the content of Religion for Atheists, it is helpful to know a bit more about De Botton himself. Also using [...]

How-to: Download a Secured PDF in Gmail to Remove Protection and Make it Editable

Apr 172012

Do you know how to remove protection from a secured PDF and make it editable using Gmail? Well I do, and thanks to YouTube and websites like eHow and Yahoo! Answers, anyone who thinks they can answer someone’s question or help solve a problem can contribute their bit. It is one of the things about the internet I find most amazing: if you don’t know how something is done, you can look it up online because someone is bound to have walked into the same wall as you have, and with a bit of luck shared their attempts with the world. I have learned a great deal from the experiences that other people have documented, whether it concerned jail-breaking an iPhone, growing a magnolia tree, washing [...]

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